Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Six
...
Steve was busy checking a contract for the house buyers when the phone rang the first time. Josie was out trying to sell an apartment - a one-bedroom with barely enough space to sneeze, never mind swing a cat, and they couldn't both fit in there with potential buyers - and their receptionist turnaround was so high that Steve actually didn't know if they'd hired one recently or if they just hadn't turned up for the day. Apparently, it was difficult to work for two people who continually rescheduled or cancelled house viewings and the receptionist was left with the fallout.
"Stronghold Realtors, this is Steve."
"Hi, Steve. You've gotta do something about this bed, man. The squeaking is driving me insane."
Steve frowned. "Um... okay. Where do you live?"
"What's that gotta do with it?"
"The bed is squeaking? I can get your landlord to have a look, though the springs probably just need oil," he replied.
There was a snort of laughter on the other end of the phone. "Yeah, I think there's enough "oil" on that bed to last a lifetime."
"What?"
The snort of laughter turned into an outright belly laugh and the call ended.
It wasn't the last of the calls, but no one could give Steve an address or landlord or even their names. It seemed to be a recurring joke, and he was the butt of it. He hated being laughed at.
The next call that came into the office, Steve simply picked up the phone and set it back on the cradle with a slam. He wasn't going to spend his time listening to people laughing at him, and he refused to let the prank calls continue like this!
Proud of his smart thinking, Steve returned his attention to the sales contract, and continued to check that everything had been signed and initialled in the right places.
His mobile rang a moment later and Steve muttered under his breath, stopping abruptly when he saw his wife's name as the caller. "Hello, dear!"
"Why on earth did you hang up the phone like that?! That could have been a customer!"
Steve winced. "Uh. It's just... there's been a lot of prank calls about a squeaking bed today. I thought it was another one."
"A squeaking bed? That's no excuse... oh, no."
"Josie? Dear, is everything all right?"
"I need to go. It seems our lawyer refuses to do simple tasks. I'll deal with it myself, just like everything else I do!"
She ended the call abruptly, and Steve set his phone down, wondering why he felt like he'd done something wrong when he'd obviously been right. It hadn't been a customer calling, so Steve determined that Josie was just overreacting.
...
"Thank you for the information. Are you sure you're all right?" Layla asked, looking between Ry and Connor.
Ry glanced at his father, his expression somewhere between sugar manic and terrified of answering the question.
"We're both hyped on sugar. We'll go home and work it off," Connor said, putting an arm around Ry.
It wasn't entirely a lie, but he could feel the minute relaxation of Ry's shoulders beneath his arm, and had to refrain himself from asking the same question of his son yet again. He just hoped that he'd find out the truth from Ryuu sooner rather than later. He couldn't help if he didn't know, and Connor loathed feeling helpless.
"All right. Don't hurt yourselves, okay?" Warren said firmly.
Connor very firmly didn't say anything about the IV drips that were still connected to the two teens.
A knock at the door had them looking over to see Ida there with Frieda and Nina behind her. Frieda waved and smiled brightly at them.
"You can come in, we're all done," Layla called, waving back at Frieda.
"Let's head home, good?" Connor asked Ry, who nodded.
They said hello to the three women, but they were all preoccupied with Warren and Layla, so it wasn't long before Connor and Ry were heading home.
"Do you think they'll join us, Papa?" Ry asked suddenly, the car ride silent for nearly five minutes.
Considering the conversation they'd just had with Layla and Warren about his Special Forces team, it didn't take much for Connor to figure out what Ryuu was referring to.
Ry continued before he could reply, "I think Uncle Andy would do it, 'specially since they helped get him and his family out of Mississippi, but Uncle Sport's probably going to be harder to get onboard. Did you see him making kissy faces at Ammie?" he asked with a giggle.
"I already regret letting you have two toppings," Connor said with a sigh.
Ry giggled again. "We're still doing stick fighting, right?"
"How about tai chi instead?"
"Nahhh. C'mon, Papa, you promised!"
"Your idiot father made that promise three hours ago, I'm a new person now."
Ry snorted so hard he actually stopped to check if his nose was all right. "Not seeing a difference, Papa."
"Sugar makes you rude. C'mon, one stick fight to teach you a lesson, and then you can run up and down 'til you crash."
"Up the walls?" Ry asked brightly.
"No, Ryuu."
"Aww."
Connor glanced over to Ryuu. He looked happier than he had this afternoon, thankfully, but still hadn't talked about what had brought him down in the first place. "Race you upstairs," he said, already running for the staircase.
Ry grinned and ran for the pipe that was bolted to the balcony's support pillars, pulling himself up to the second floor and sliding under the railing to run for their apartment door before his father reached it. Connor's eyes widened on seeing Ryuu already there, and ran for the door as well, Ry jumping and sliding the last metre to touch the door.
"Did you just scrape your face on the welcome mat?" Connor asked with a wince.
"Nah, it got my hand, though," Ry said, sitting up and brushing his clothes off before inspecting his hand. "I'll live."
"Glad to hear it. Now, get up and go get the staffs," Connor said, unlocking the door and nudging his son with his foot.
Ryuu nodded, scrambling up onto his feet, kicking his shoes off, and running inside. Connor followed him in, closing the door behind him, and picking up Ryuu's discarded shoes.
"Got the staffs, Papa! Ready? Why're you taking so long?"
"Because I only had one scoop and my veins aren't made out of sugar."
"They should be. Nom, nom, nom," Ry said with a laugh.
"Oh, kid, you're going to crash so hard later. All right, where's my staff?" Connor asked with a sigh.
Ry grinned and threw the staff to him. "Ready now?"
"Let me take my shirt off, good? It's new and not ruined by sweat yet," Connor said. "And you can move the yoga mats; someone's going to trip otherwise. Someone's you, by the way."
Ry huffed a sigh and moved the yoga mats with the most dramatic effort he could achieve, then turned to face his father again. "Now?"
Connor grinned. "Now."
They sparred for a few minutes, Connor gaining and losing the upper hand thanks to Ryuu's sugar-fuelled speed. He didn't mind; by the third round, Ryuu would be so tired that he'd probably collapse on the carpet and forget about sparring entirely.
"Want to make it interesting?" Connor asked when they'd stepped back to recover for the second round.
Ryuu frowned. "What do you mean?"
"A bet."
"Hmm. What sorta bet?"
"You win, I do dishes for the rest of the month," Connor said, knowing how much Ry hated cleaning dishes. "Best out of three."
"And if you win?"
"You tell me what happened today."
"Papa." Ry stepped back, his staff by his side.
Connor immediately lowered his staff and looked at his son clearly. "Ryuu, I can't promise I won't be upset because whatever happened has made you upset, and that's upsetting me already. I will promise that I won't be angry at you, no matter what it is. And... I won't call the school and make it worse, okay? I just want to know what's going on," he said firmly, hoping Ry would believe him because it was the Super God-to-honest truth. "Besides, it depends on whether I win or not," he added with a slight grin, splaying his arms, the staff still in his hand.
Ryuu considered it for a moment. "You'll really do the dishes for the rest of the month? That's three weeks of dishwashing, and you hate cleaning them just as much as I do."
"I know, but I'm willing to bet on it. You agree?"
"Dishes and we get pizza twice?"
"Don't push it, son."
"Fine, once? With garlic bread?"
Connor considered it for a long moment, then nodded. "Deal."
Ry grinned. "Awesome! You're going down, old man!"
Connor snickered. "You have much to learn, young padawan."
"I've already won one, Papa. The teacher is about to become the student."
Smirking at his son, Connor tucked his staff under his arm, then held out his free hand and motioned 'bring it on'.
...
Victor felt like he'd run a marathon. He'd finally got Elijah and Elliot off to sleep - and off the ceiling - and he was exhausted. He'd barely had time to think about why Connor had cancelled their date, but now it was quiet, and Victor couldn't think about anything else.
Had something happened? Was he all right? Was Ryuu all right? Craig hadn't said anything about his friend, but maybe they'd had a falling out. He was tempted to get up and ask Craig, but that involved moving. Yeah, that wasn't happening.
Stretching his arm out with a soft groan of pain, he smacked his hand on the nightstand until he felt his phone beneath his fingers. Holding it up above his face, Victor winced at the brightness and turned it down - he really had to stop giving his phone to the twins - then opened the messages. He hovered over Connor's name for a moment, then decided to risk it and message him. Connor would either respond or he wouldn't.
Victor: Hey. Finally got to bed. How was your evening? Everything okay?
Wishing he could see Connor's colours through text, Victor let out a breath and put his phone on the mattress beside him, forcing himself to stand up and change into pyjamas instead of staring at his screen uselessly. Stripping off his shirt, Victor shucked his trousers off next, just as his phone buzzed from the bed. He almost tripped over the material around his ankles to get to his bed that much faster, kicking them off as he unlocked his phone.
Connor: Just got to bed myself, darling. Ry had a day, so we needed the time together. Thank you again for understanding 3
Connor: Are you still wearing your blue shirt? ;)
Victor frowned at the responses. He wondered if Connor was purposely trying to distract him from asking about Ryuu.
Victor: Is Ryuu all right? Anything I can help with?
He contemplated whether he should send a selfie or not, then decided to wait until Connor replied. If it was serious, he didn't want his libido to ruin a situation that might require a lawyer.
Connor: He's sleeping off a lot of sugar now, darling. I kicked his butt at stick-fighting. It's been an emotional evening for both of us.
Connor: There are things happening that I can't help with or I'd only make it worse.
Connor: I don't know what to do and it's a very frustrating position to be in.
Victor: Can I video call you? I might be able to help?
There was a pause and Victor could almost imagine Connor debating whether to take a call or keep it to text. Victor just wanted to see Connor and see his colours; he needed to know what Connor was feeling to see if he could help. If Connor even wanted his help in the first place.
Connor: All right, darling.
Victor exhaled in relief and then video called Connor. Connor's face filled his screen a moment later, looking tired and yet still as handsome as ever. "Hello, darling. How was your evening?"
"Fine; Elijah and Elliot have worked out how to float. I had to bribe them to get off the ceiling. Now, how are you? Let me see you properly?" he asked, trying to keep his voice soft so he wouldn't wake anyone.
Connor raised an eyebrow, a grin twitching at his lips as he held the phone further back. "I'd think you were teasing me if I didn't know your power, darling."
"Hmm, maybe later," Victor said absentmindedly, taking in the swirl of colours.
"I'd hope so, with you dressed like that, darling," Connor purred.
He'd forgotten to put a shirt on and his trousers were still on the floor. Oops.
"Later, Connor. Do you want to talk about it? Confidentially, of course," Victor said, determining that Connor wasn't hurt too badly, and tugged a pair of pyjama pants on before settling on his bed to give Connor his full attention.
There was a hue over Connor's normal colours that indicated he was hurt, but it wasn't deep. The only exception was the deep colour over his heart that kept pulsing. It was like Connor was forcing himself to stay calm through sheer will alone, the emotion flaring out every so often. It was dull, and Victor couldn't quite tell what the colour was through the phone screen.
Connor sighed. "I can't, darling. It's not my problem and I'm not betraying Ryuu's trust that way."
"Just promise no one's dead yet?"
"No one's dead, darling. Not yet," he muttered fiercely, his jaw tense.
His eyes widened at the flare of unrecognisable colour across Connor's chest. "Shit. Talk to me, Connor? About anything," Victor added gently.
Connor set his phone down and put his head in his hands, rubbing his temples and eyes before picking up his phone again and looking at Victor. "I just... I don't know what to do, darling. I want to keep Ry safe but he's almost an adult and I can't keep him sheltered for the rest of his life. He'll resent me and hate the fact I'm trying to make decisions for him, like my parents did for me. What happened today... I just want... "
Suddenly, the colours over his heart flaring out to cover nearly his whole chest. Victor bit his tongue so he wouldn't say what the colours were saying: Connor wanted to hurt someone. Red rage, so dark it was almost black, was bleeding through every other colour, pulsing in an angry tempo that made Victor breathless.
"I'm an adult. I can't punch a child, no matter how much I want to," Connor breathed, his hands clenched tight around his phone.
Victor was silent for a moment. "You've got a punching bag, don't you? Can you hit that instead?"
"I haven't hung it up yet; I don't want to lose my deposit by putting holes in the roof."
"Hang it up at home. You've only got a few weeks left on your lease, right?"
"I'm not hanging up a punching bag at your mother's house, darling."
Victor shook his head, his ears pink. "Not there, Con. I mean at our new home. You're still moving in, aren't you? Why not come and bring your things over now?"
"Are you sure you want me to come right now?" Connor asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.
Victor blushed more fully, his cheeks red. "I hate that it's tan, it's the worst damn colour."
"And what colour would you make my teasing, darling?"
"Blue. It's like the ocean: calming and overwhelming all at once."
Connor grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment, darling." He sighed, his grin slipping. "I don't want to leave Ryuu; he's likely to have nightmares with the amount of sugar we ate for dinner, but I can keep teasing like this, if you'd like? I could do with the distraction myself."
Victor licked his lips, then nodded. "Yes, please, Connor."
Grey relief washed through Connor, even dulling the red rage for a moment. If this was all Victor could do to take Connor's mind off it, then he'd do it every day for the rest of his life.
...
Gemma needed to blow off steam. She usually went for a run when she felt this tight and restless feeling under her skin, but she still hadn't worked out where to run in Maxville. Besides, she'd promised her father to send him the route she planned on taking. Gemma was almost positive as soon as she did, he'd have someone access the CCTV footage to ensure she stayed safe. Therefore, running indoors would do for now.
Changing into her running clothes, Gemma grabbed her water bottle and towel then headed down to the building's gym. It was still early enough in the afternoon that other adults were either at work or dealing with their kids, and the kids in the building tended to go to the playground rather than the gym, so she hoped to have the place to herself.
The gym was still new enough that the machines looked pristine, though she knew they'd been used already. Heading straight for a treadmill, Gemma set her towel on the handle, her water bottle in the stand, and looked at the various options available on the machine. It was a newer one with different scenery options, an option for music, and even included a few basic games. Ignoring the games and music, Gemma navigated to the scenery options, and chose a simple road. Setting her preferences for speed and incline, she stepped onto the machine and started a gentle jog, her thoughts slipping away as she focused on the road and her run.
By the time the third incline kicked in, Gemma was no longer alone. Champ and Ex were taunting each other on the mats, sparring while Killer and Baby watched.
"C'mon, Champ. You've gotta beat me at least once before your shift," Ex said with a broad grin.
"Oh, I'll beat you."
"Mm, kinky."
Champ grinned. "Yeah, I know. Now shut up and put your fists up; my shift starts in half an hour."
Gemma could hear the noise from the security team but refused to focus on them, instead concentrating on her run. She was almost at the last incline she'd set for herself, then she could stop and go home to have a hot shower.
Maybe she'd spoil herself by changing into lingerie and masturbating. It had been a while since she'd had time to relax like that, and the very thought of it made a swirl of heat pool in her belly. It had absolutely nothing to do with Ex being sweaty or Baby being shirtless, not at all.
"Ooh, and you're down!" Ex crowed, grinning at Champ and offering a hand to him.
Champ took it and let Ex do the heavy lifting to get him off the mat. "I'm going to beat you one day."
"You've been saying that for years, Champ. Ain't happened yet! No one here can beat me; I'm unbeatable!"
Baby took the dollar note from Killer, rolling his eyes at Ex's familiar gloating; they went through this every damn time.
"I'll do it." All four men looked over at Gemma in varying degrees of surprise. She looked back at them unflinchingly. "Well? You said no one here can beat you; I'm here, I'll do it."
Baby looked between Gemma and Ex, wondering if this was a good idea. Ex was super competitive and Gemma clearly hated him. Someone could get hurt and he didn't know who it would be.
Ex grinned. "All right, sunshine. You're on. Try and beat me, if you can."
Gemma rolled her shoulders, cracked her neck, and headed over to the mats. "Do or do not, there is no try."
Ex's grin broadened at the Star Wars quote and Baby knew that they were both in trouble. Again.
"All right, sunshine. Ready?" Ex asked.
"Are you?" Gemma asked, even as she moved forward.
She ducked his fist, swept down low, and knocked his legs out from under him. Ex fell to the mats with a thud. It was over in fewer than fifteen seconds, and the others just stared for a good thirty seconds in disbelief.
"We didn't even get a chance to bet on it," Killer muttered to Baby, who just nodded.
"Lady, I love you! Anytime you need anything, just ask and I'll make sure you get it!" Champ said, laughter littering his words as he saw Ex's stunned expression from his position on the floor.
Gemma felt a little better but not as satisfied as she'd hoped. She bit back a disappointed sigh and decided to just leave already; there was no point hanging around now that she'd finished her run, and besides, she had a date with herself. She plucked the dollar note out of Baby's hand and headed back to the treadmill. "Bye, guys," she said over her shoulder, grabbing her water bottle and towel on the way out.
"Bye!" Champ called brightly, then grinned down at Ex, still stunned and on his ass. "So... why're you calling her sunshine?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"All right, that's enough. You've gotta get ready for your shift, Champ. Ex, go shower, would you?" Baby said, pushing Champ towards the door.
Champ would have protested, but Killer took his hand and led him out of the gym, and teasing Ex didn't seem all that important anymore.
...
"You're both healed as far as I can manage with modern medicine. The rest will be up to you. I'll give you one last night with super painkillers, then we'll end the dosages tomorrow. You can have super painkillers, but I want to monitor your progress, and you have to promise to text me if anything hurts, understood? Down to your damn pinkie toe," Ida said firmly, looking between Layla and Warren to ensure they both understood just how serious she was.
"Understood, Dr. Spattle," Layla said.
"Agreed," Warren said with a nod.
"Good. Now, I'll let Nina and Frieda know they can take you both home tomorrow, okay? Oh, and don't think I didn't see those feedback cards for Ammie. You're getting soup after all that sugar."
"Yes, Dr. Spattle," Layla said with a put-upon sigh; she really enjoyed the soup and it wasn't a punishment to eat it in the slightest.
"Good. Now, eat your dinner and relax for the rest of the night to help the drugs work, okay? That means no more homework for the night," Ida added, raising an eyebrow when Layla sighed more genuinely this time.
"No complaints here. Can I get it in writing?" Warren asked with a grin.
"You've already finished your homework. I saw you looking at The Days of our Super Lives fan page on your phone," Layla said, laughing when Warren glowered.
"Mm-hmm. Don't try to distract me; put Lionheart's book away, Layla," Ida said.
"I was just going to finish this chapter."
"You've read the book exactly how many times already?" Ida asked, hands on her hips.
Layla's earnest expression fell. "Three times."
"Then the rest of that chapter can wait until morning. From what you've told me, I doubt it's interesting anyway. Milo will be bringing your dinner shortly; Enzo's included longer comment cards this time."
"They were already double-sided yesterday," Warren said incredulously.
"Yes, and now there's two. Enjoy your night," Ida said with a brief smile, leaving them alone.
Layla looked at Lionheart's book once more, then set it aside and turned her attention to Warren instead. "Want to cuddle?"
"Yes, please."
"It's your turn to come over to my bed."
Warren groaned playfully, but carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, walking over to join Layla in a matter of seconds. "I'm going to miss this after we go home."
Layla stroked his hair even as Warren stroked her ribs with warm fingertips. "Mmm, so will I."
...
Miguel purred as Freya trailed her hands against his skin. He'd give money to have hair again so he could feel her fingers through his hair, but this was the next best feeling, and being next to Freya had always felt right.
"Do you want food?" Freya asked, looking over to the emergency hatch where more of Barney's notes had been shoved inside.
Miguel snorted, arching against her before sitting up. "You sound like your Pepe, Frey."
Freya rolled her eyes. "We need to eat."
"We ate a few hours ago, I can survive a few hours more."
"Survive? No, that is not right, Mig; we have food and if you're hungry, you should eat. I'll get you a platter," Freya said, standing before he could protest.
Miguel grabbed Freya's hand with one hand, and curled the other around her waist, sliding smoothly onto his knees and grinning up at her. "I could eat you instead."
Freya groaned at his words, tugging at her hand to free herself from his grip. "We've used all of the condoms, Mig. Either we go out to get more and face Pepe, or stay in and behave."
"I know; I never said a thing about sex," he murmured, stroking his fingertips along the back of her thigh.
Laughing at the feeling and squirming against his hand, Freya leaned down to kiss him firmly. "I know, Mig. You don't have to," she said, pulling away with a grin. "Now, food?"
"How about you make us food and I'll go get the condoms?" Miguel asked.
Freya raised an eyebrow. "You know Pepe's probably waiting out the door to accost us as soon as we leave?"
"Si, I can handle him and his love. It's all worth it for you, Frey," Miguel said, kissing his way up her legs.
"How about I go get the condoms and you get the food? I can get away from Pepe faster than you," she said with a grin.
Miguel raised an eyebrow, pulling away. "You think you're faster than me? Is that a challenge, Frey?" he asked, his teeth lengthening though they both knew he'd never hurt her.
Freya's grin broadened, loving the way he responded to her challenge, just as he always had. "Si."
...
Ammie hummed under her breath, happy and content as she finally finished adding the prices to her board. She had been determined to finish it after far too many questions and comments from customers about the lack of prices for their drinks, and had come down to the bakery a full hour early to ensure she completed it this time. Ammie leaned back to inspect her handiwork, carefully erased a smudge of chalk that had appeared, then nodded in satisfaction. Carefully making her way down the ladder, Ammie frowned at the colour left on the rungs and inspected her hand to discover she'd smudged chalk on herself as well. Grabbing a spare tea towel, she wiped off her hands, then turned to wash them in the sink.
She was startled to see a man in a hoodie standing at her counter. She hadn't heard the bell ring or the door open. In fact, she didn't remember unlocking the front door yet, as she'd entered through the building lobby entrance instead. Ammie glanced over to her door - the sign still displayed 'Closed' to the outside world - and then back at the man.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure how you got in, but we're closed. I open at... oh, my." Her sentence trailed off as her mouth went dry when the man pointed a gun straight at her face.
Not a ray or a laser, like the kind Corvin had to make for Mad Science, but a regular handgun and one she wagered would hurt far more. She thought of her late husband and wondered if Corvin was going to lose another parent to a citizen's gun. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of it and it took her a second to realise the man was speaking to her.
"Give me whatever's in the till, and hurry up about it!"
Ammie didn't even get a chance to unlock the register before Ex was slamming into the man. She blinked and then Ex was dragging the man back through to the lobby and into the security room, ignoring his cursing and flailing. What could have been minutes or hours passed, and then Ex returned to the bakery, looking at Ammie with a concerned frown.
"I let Sport know what happened, he'll be here soon. Did you see where the... ah, there is is. I'm just going to take this outta here, okay?" Ex said, taking a napkin with Captain Fancypants on it and picking up the gun that had fallen out of the robber's grip. "Do you want me to wait for Sport to get here?"
Ammie felt like she couldn't breathe. She didn't know what to say, hardly knew what had happened, and could only picture that gun in her face and think of Corvin being orphaned for something as stupid as a hundred dollars in her register. She doubted she could even pick the man out of a lineup at that moment.
The door opened abruptly as Sport arrived, eyes wide and chest heaving like he'd run all the way from his apartment on the twenty-third floor, and he gathered Ammie into his arms without a word.
Ex backed away quietly and slowly, taking the gun through to the security room to be disposed of. He'd leave Ammie in Sport's capable hands, and check in on her later.
...
"Are you sure you'll be all right? I can cancel or - "
"No! Mama, you need to go already, you'll be late. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so stop delaying it," Chayton said, pushing Alice towards the door.
"Every meal is the most important meal of the day," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Why are you being so pushy this morning? Literally pushy, by the way."
Chayton stopped pushing at Alice and shrugged, obviously trying for nonchalant and failing miserably. "Lupo's gonna be here soon and we wanna hang out without adult supervision for once."
Alice raised an eyebrow at her son. "Uh huh. Do you need adult supervision?"
He blushed as brightly as Alice did when faced with Buddy and Kid. "No!"
"Do we need to talk about sex?"
Chayton's face turned a brighter red. "Nope. We had that talk already, remember? In way more detail than most kids get, by the way."
"I will not be ashamed. Sex has many diverse forms and I wanted you to be prepared - "
"I am, Mama. I promise. Well, not, like, today. Lupo doesn't want to rush anything, and he hasn't exactly come out to Lottie yet, so... I'm not pushing him into doing a damn thing 'til he's not ready. Honestly, I'm still a little on edge after the... the organisation, and I don't want to do anything either. I'm good with just hanging out."
Alice tried to keep her tears at bay. When the hell did Chayton get all grown up without her? Well, she knew when and likely why, but damn it, he was still her baby boy, even if he was fifteen already.
"All right. I'm going. Make sure you eat breakfast, too, okay? There's food and drinks, and - "
"Mama, I know. Go, already," Chay said, rolling his eyes.
Alice sighed and nodded. "All right, I'm going. You be good, and if you can't be good, at least be safe."
Chayton blushed and groaned. "Mama, I'm gonna carry you out that door if you don't - "
The doorbell rang and they both looked at it.
"I'll get it." Chayton and Alice both said at the same time.
Alice grinned and raised her eyebrows at Chay. He let out a small laugh and they both ran for the door.
Buddy blinked at the sudden appearance of Alice and Chayton in the doorway. On either side of him, Kid and Lupo both seemed as stunned as he did, so he was glad he wasn't the only one.
"Uh, hi. We thought we'd escort you to breakfast, Alice, and Lupo here met us on the way over," Kid said, smiling.
"Hi, Chay," Lupo said, a shy smile on his face.
"Can we escort you to breakfast now, dear Alice? We're starving and I didn't want to worry about you skipping on our date - "
"Buddy," Kid said in warning. "Sorry, dear Alice, he gets grumpy when he hasn't eaten."
Alice smiled, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I remember."
"All right. Bye, Mama. Lupo, come in. We've got cereal and Mama made pancakes, and there's Tetris and Super Mario."
"Fuck, yes! I'm kicking your ass, man. Uh, hi, Ms. Alice. Thank you for letting me visit Chay," Lupo said politely. "Ma said you should visit her; full disclosure: she wants to measure you for her ass kicker dress," he added, grinning broadly.
Buddy perked up. "There's an ass kicker dress? Do we get to see it?"
Lupo shrugged. "If she makes it and Ms. Alice wears it, then, yeah."
Alice's stomach chose that moment to contribute to the conversation and she barely resisted the urge to cover her face in pure and utter embarrassment. Across from her, both Kid and Buddy grinned.
"Let's escort you to breakfast, shall we? We can talk more about this dress," Kid suggested, his grin broadening.
"I'm going for the food, not the dress," Alice informed them, stepping out into the hallway before her stomach could embarrass her further.
"Of course, Alice dear. Now, Enzo has provided us with an excellent breakfast and we're required to give very detailed feedback, so we'd best get started if we're to finish before lunch," Buddy said.
"Oh, I just need to say goodbye to Chay," Alice said, turning around.
"Bye, Mama! Enjoy breakfast," Chayton said, hugging her tightly, then stepped back, grinned and waved, and closed the door before she could respond.
"Love you," she called through the door, almost desperately.
Through the door, she heard Chayton laughed. "Love you, too, now go!"
"Do you want me to break the door down, dear Alice? You don't have to leave if you don't want to," Buddy added.
"Hell, I can go bring the breakfast up here, if you want. We can eat in the hallway," Kid offered.
Hearing Chayton laugh and a shy laugh from Lupo in response, Alice smiled and shook her head. "No, no. I'm ready. So, what's for breakfast?" she asked, looping her arms through theirs.
Buddy grinned and started listing the various foods that had been delivered, Kid guiding them to their apartment, and Alice smiling between them.
...
End of the hundred and seventy-sixth chapter.
Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!
...
Author's note: A new chapter will be added to Flames and Flowers called 'Seven Years: an interlude'.
This is Ex/Baby/Gemma's story, and takes place between chapter 176 and 177. You'll need to read it for context of their relationship in future chapters as well as more detail about what happened to Ex during Connor's rescue mission.
It was throwing off the flow within the Mother Nature story, unfortunately, so needed to be it's own story. I hope you like it!
